If you love sugar snap peas like I do, you have to try these Spicy Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas. And this tasty veggie side dish is easy, low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, South Beach Diet Phase One, and Vegan!

Recently I talked about my profound affection for sugar snap peas, and I decided it might be fun to experiment with them as the starring ingredient in a stir-fried vegetable side dish. Not that I hadn't stir-fried sugar snap peas before, but never like this with them sliced diagonally to reveal the tiny peas inside.

I have no idea where I got the idea of slicing the peas for a stir-fry, but I loved these Spicy Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Sriracha. The pods cooked more quickly, and a few tiny peas spilled out, adding visual interest and a lot of sweet pea flavor to the finished dish.

Many years ago I took Chinese cooking classes and this recipe follows the basic rules for stir-frying I learned in that class:

Preheat the wok (or pan) before you add the oil.

Season the oil (add slices of fresh garlic cloves and ginger root and stir-fry very briefly, just until they become fragrant.)

Remember the importance of symmetry of cut (all pieces should be the same size for stir-fry cooking.)

Have all ingredients cut and sauces mixed before you start to cook.

Use very high heat and cook fast.

The only part of making this that's a little labor intensive is pulling off the string from each of the pods and then slicing them lengthwise on the diagonal. (The sugar snap peas actually have a string along each side, but on most of them I just snapped the stem and pulled one side off.)

Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil and Sriracha sauce to make the finishing sauce.

Cut several slices of fresh ginger root and slice a couple of garlic cloves for "seasoning the oil." Don't skip this step, which adds a lot of flavor.

Preheat the wok or heavy frying pan for about a minute, then add the oil. When the oil is very hot (shimmering), add the garlic and ginger slices and stir-fry just until they become fragrant, less than a minute.

Add the sugar snap peas to the seasoned oil and stir-fry about 2 minutes, or until the peas are bright green and just starting to be cooked.

Remove the strings from the each sugar snap pea by snapping the stem end and pulling the string down the side, then slice each one on the diagonal. (The sugar snap peas actually have a string on each side, but on most of them I only removed the string from one side.)

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Put the wok or heavy frying pan on the burner and preheat at least one minute. (It should feel very hot if you hold your hand above the wok.) When wok is hot, add the oil and let it heat until the oil is shimmering (about 15-30 seconds, depending on how hot your stove gets.) Add the sliced ginger root and garlic and stir-fry just long enough so that they become fragrant and season the oil, then remove. (Be careful not to brown the ginger and garlic or they will have a bitter taste.)

Add the sliced sugar snap peas and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the peas turn bright green and are just starting to cook, about 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce just starts to coat the peas, about 1 minute more. (There will be some sauce in the bottom of the wok, but not much.) Serve hot, sprinkled with black sesame seeds or sesame seeds if desired.

I had some of this left over and was pleasantly surprised at how great it tasted cold when I ate it for lunch the next day. I started just having "a taste" of the cold leftover peas and ended up eating them all.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Ideas from Food Blogs for Cooking Sugar Snap Peas:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

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49 comments:

Those peas look gorgeous, especially with the black sesame seed garnish. Anything that has Sriracha in it is something I want to try. It's amazing how just a small amount of Sriracha can perk up a sauce.

Your recipe sounds very tasty - however, I would like to make a tiny suggestion concerning the garlic and ginger - they should be undertones in what is basically a musical dish dish - meaning, mince them carefully, rather than slicing, and add them at the same time as you have suggested. I find slicing to be okay, when you add to oil, and then pull out... however, when you want the hint of ginger or garlic, take the time to mince - the flavor wiill still be there, but will not overwhelm the dish!

I'm a fan of snap peas as well, but haven't found a lot of interesting recipes (until now) for preparing them as a side dish. I usually resort to throwing them into a stir fry, but I love this recipe, as they are the "hero" of the dish.

Gungho Gourmet, feel free to mince the garlic and ginger if you make this, however I prefer not to have bits of garlic and ginger throughout the dish so I like the flavor you get from seasoning the oil. (And comments are moderated and don't show up until I post them. When you post it after I'm in bed, it doesn't get moderated until the next morning. No need to post it four times with comments such as "fix your site.")

Kellypea, thanks! Wish I could remember where I saw that. I can picture it in my mind, but not where it was.

I like the idea of adding sriracha to a stir fry to spice things up. I think your way of cutting the snap peas diagonally will work for me - not only is it prettier with the beans exposed, I actually find it a chore to pull the strings and trim the edges. Thanks for your mention too :)

Well, it's lunch time, I haven't eaten yet, and I'm wishing I could just reach right through my screen to sample those sugar snap peas, Kalyn! Those look phenomenal. I must try this recipe! Like others are saying, I've never purposely split mine, but they look so appealing this way. :-)

My apologies - I did not mean to offend you if I did - I was merely commenting on a great recipe and offering suggestions in terms of the garlic and ginger - I truly was not criticizing, just offering a suggestion.

This recipe is sooooo good! I love the sauce so much, I used it on cabbage and it was just as yummy. This website is my best find of the year. My husband and I went on the South Beach Diet beginning in January. I googled SBD recipes and happened across your website. It has made dieting so easy! My husband thinks I'm a gourmet cook and I've lost 13 pounds. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes and insights. I'm a fan!

This was really nice. My only complaint was that I didn't have any leftovers! Will definitely make again. Love your recipes, Kalyn, especially since I'm back on Phase 1 again of SBD due to my weight creeping back up. Thanks!

I love this!! We eat snap peas with this recipe weekly. Can't go a week without it. So delicious, and any leftovers are great reheated the next day. BUT we hardly ever have leftover. Try this. You won't be disappointed. Thanks Kalyn.

I made these last night with the sriracha beef wraps. Delicious! We just started SBD on Saturday and have already made four of your recipes. My husband is excited to have such delicious food on the diet, but he said that portion control is going to be tough given how good everything is. Thanks for this wonderful resource! (and for the delicious leftover sugar snap peas I get to enjoy at lunch!)

I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.

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